PHIL 455 Topics in the Philosophy of Cognitive Science:Moral Psychology

Term 2: Wednesday 2:00-5:00pm

The theme of the course this term will be contemporary moral psychology. We will look at a range of questions where philosophy and cognitive science interact in trying to account for important features of human morality. I am flexible about the specific topics we will cover and will ask for student input on a week-by-week basis. Some possible topics include:

What is morality?

Why do we have the moral intuitions that we have?

What role does reason play in the formation of our moral judgements? What role does emotion play?

Is morality innate?

Can biological evolution contribute to the understanding of morality?

What explains the way that moral norms develop over time?

What features of human psychology explain how we are able to live in large cooperative groups?

Do infants and young children have the capacity to form moral judgements?

Are there character traits?

How do developments in neuroscience and psychology bear on questions about free will and moral responsibility?

ReadingsWhat we read will depend on the topics the class chooses to focus on. But if you want an idea about some of the possibilities, you might take a look at the four-volume series Moral Psychology (MIT Press), The Moral Psychology Handbook (Oxford), and Jonathan Haidt's The Righteous Mind.

AssignmentsThere is some flexibility here too—I'm open to student input regarding the nature of the graded assignments—but am expecting that there will be (at least) one short writing exercise per week and one research paper due at the end of the term.

Course FormatThis course will be organized as a seminar. This means that attendance and class participation are required and that most classes will involve a considerable amount of class discussion.

PrerequisitesPHIL 240 or COGS 200 if accompanied by 3 credits in PHIL at the 200-level or above, plus at least 3rd year undergraduate status. Recommended for this section: PHIL230 (or equivalent background in ethics), PHIL451 (philosophy of mind), and general background in philosophy and/or cognitive science.